To address the limitations of conventional sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), a novel hybrid tracer (indocyanine green [ICG]-Tc-nanocolloid) has been developed. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the differences between the novel hybrid tracer and conventional methods using ICG or radioisotope (RI) for SLNB in head and neck malignancies. This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42023409127). PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. This study included raw data on the number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) identified using different modalities during surgery for head and neck malignancies. The identification rate of SLNs was the main outcome of interest. Prognostic data and complication rate cannot be deduced from this article. The heterogeneity test (I) determined the use of a fixed- or random-effects model for the pooled risk ratio (RR). Overall, 1275 studies were screened, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. In SLN identification of head and neck malignancies, ICG-Tc-nanocolloid was superior to ICG or RI. In the subgroup analyses, the detection rates of ICG and RI tracers in SLNB were comparable, regardless of the device, tumor type, or tumor stage. In conclusion, in SLN identification of head and neck malignancies, the use of ICG-Tc-nanocolloid is superior to the single technique of ICG or RI. This study suggests that Hospitals using ICG or RI may find it beneficial to change their practice to ICG-Tc-nanocolloid, especially in the head and neck area, owing to its superior effectiveness.

中文翻译：

---

混合示踪剂在头颈恶性肿瘤前哨淋巴结活检中的应用价值：系统评价和荟萃分析

为了解决传统前哨淋巴结活检 (SLNB) 的局限性，开发了一种新型混合示踪剂（吲哚菁绿 [ICG]-Tc-纳米胶体）。这项荟萃分析旨在比较新型混合示踪剂与使用 ICG 或放射性同位素 (RI) 进行头颈部恶性肿瘤 SLNB 的传统方法之间的差异。该研究已在国际前瞻性系统评价登记册中注册（CRD42023409127）。对 PubMed、Embase、Web of Science 和 Cochrane 图书馆进行了系统检索。这项研究包括在头颈恶性肿瘤手术期间使用不同方式识别的前哨淋巴结（SLN）数量的原始数据。 SLN 的识别率是主要的关注结果。无法从本文中推断出预后数据和并发症发生率。异质性检验 (I) 确定了合并风险比 (RR) 是否使用固定效应或随机效应模型。总体而言，筛选了 1275 项研究，其中 11 项符合荟萃分析的纳入标准。在头颈恶性肿瘤的SLN鉴别中，ICG-Tc-纳米胶体优于ICG或RI。在亚组分析中，无论设备、肿瘤类型或肿瘤分期如何，前哨淋巴结活检中 ICG 和 RI 示踪剂的检出率具有可比性。总之，在头颈部恶性肿瘤的SLN鉴别中，使用ICG-Tc-纳米胶体优于单独的ICG或RI技术。这项研究表明，使用 ICG 或 RI 的医院可能会发现将其做法改为 ICG-Tc-纳米胶体是有益的，特别是在头颈部区域，因为其卓越的有效性。